Price Paid:  $500.00 from 1996

Summary:
the VSX-455 has been a great amp. Nowdays its basically used 90% of the time for TV and watching movies. I live in Australia which explains the higher price.

Its about 10 years old now and going well. I got sick of the hum so I disconnected the internal fan about 4 years ago. On hot days it sometimes turns itself off.

I run two Bose 501 speakers and a Yamaha sub woofer and the sound is fine for me. It sounds better than many surround sound setups which I have heard in the last few years.

I lost the remote a few years ago but am now using a Harmony 520 universal remote. It works great.

I often think if I bought a computer in 1996 it would be a piece of rubbish now. However the money I spent on my audio equipment in 96 is still working for me.

Strengths:
Longevity, looks, power

Weaknesses:
Lack of inputs for this day and age

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $9.00

Summary:
Overall for the price of this amp im quite happy with the proformance in power and in sound though the amp is now a bit out of date agains the new market.

Strengths:
the power output is decent for running large speakers. subout puts out plenty of power if you like bass music. easy to use controls with the multijog.also the amp will turn itself off if connections are incorect.

Weaknesses:
after having my amp for some time the humming got quite loud while playin music down low. this is the biggest problem i have had.

Similar Products Used:
yamaha.

Price Paid:  $150.00 from voth's audio

Summary:
this system is good for home theatre and music it seems to have a fair amount of power for what it is. but if anyone knows how much power this unit is per channel or the max impedance load I ask you please email me at killerbeez187@hotmail.com

Strengths:
lots of power and clear sound

Weaknesses:
controls are not very precise

Similar Products Used:
non this receiver beats em all!!

Price Paid:  $219.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I think, that we need to consider the price of a unit and then set the expectations. The performance of this rcvr is quite nice if you are a regular listener. If you are a "audiophile" you should not be looking a 200 bucks unit. The power is great for normal periods of time (dont push it), it is a little bit noisy (can only be noticed in controlled environments) and overall tonal balance is good, but tone controls produce weird effects. I have found it to be pretty reliable.

Strengths:
reliable, reasonable amounts of power, great sound for 95% of the applications.

Weaknesses:
Noisy, tone controls

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Harman Kardon, Yamaha

Price Paid:  $219.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I think, that we need to consider the price of a unit and then set the expectations. The performance of this rcvr is quite nice if you are a regular listener. If you are a "audiophile" you should not be looking a 200 bucks unit. The power is great for normal periods of time (dont push it), it is a little bit noisy (can only be noticed in controlled environments) and overall tonal balance is good, but tone controls produce weird effects. I have found it to be pretty reliable.

Strengths:
reliable, reasonable amounts of power, great sound for 95% of the applications.

Weaknesses:
Noisy, tone controls

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Harman Kardon, Yamaha